Conversation with Kaunas resident V. Jukna: on how fascinated by the Labor Party trial and why it will rise up in Samogitia

Above all this, in a special series of interviews dedicated to the Seimas elections “Why do you vote?“.

Tomorrow Monday, read the continuation of the interview: in it, what V. Jukna thinks about the Union of Greens and Peasants of Lithuania and his work, how he agrees with Viktor Uspaskich, the leader of the “workers” who promote the alternative medicine, and what the party will offer ministers if it is successful.

– We are at the headquarters of the Labor Party. Tell us about the path to this match and in general how you found yourself in politics.

– My path to this party dates back to 2008, when the time came and I realized that I have a lot of knowledge and experience and that I need to use it more widely, not just teaching at a university or participating in various associations.

That is, in the fall of 2008, immediately after the Seimas elections, I joined the Labor Party. I soon became chairman of the party’s Rural Affairs Committee. In 2012, I was appointed Minister of Agriculture.

– And who invited you to the party or discovered it yourself?

– I came to this party very motivated, there was not even an invitation. I also read party programs, I was interested in party people as they are, I watched debates, speeches. I discovered this party myself and came to it.

– So what attracted you compared to the others?

– Attracted first, of course, the leader, his rhetoric, his stance, the program – I compared him with others. And while the core values ​​must remain, I understand that a part of the program can always be changed and adjusted accordingly. All of that attracted me.

Drawn first, of course, the leader, his rhetoric, his stance.

– And at that time you joined the party, and now the party is on trial. Why is this not an obstacle?

– I believe in people, that’s why it was not an obstacle for me. I came to that party at a difficult time when it is often different in politics.

In fact, he had never been involved in politics before. This is my first party. I am a person who values ​​consistency and does not apply for posts or ratings.

I arrived at that difficult time, if you remember 2008, it was also a decline in the classification, but I always like to get along with the team instead of coming when it is already very good for everyone.

– It seems that you participated in many elections, both in the municipalities and in the European Parliament, as if no one were very successful. Why do you think it will be different this time?

– There was some decline in the match during that period.

I never had thoughts, and now some colleagues have chosen a different direction or a different political force, without even considering those things. As I mentioned, I am always determined to work as a team, to work steadily, not to run. We participate accordingly.

And now I really believe in that victory, as I have always believed. I firmly believe and we will achieve that victory.

– And why was it not successful in the past?

– There was some weakening in the party as the party was in an unenviable situation. And, most importantly, the party did not have its own leader at the time it split. There was no party president, Viktor Uspaskich. Then he came back and everything was in its place.

– You are running in the Kelmė-Šilalė district, even though you are from Kaunas. What connections do you have with those edges that you walk here?

– I was born and raised in Kaunas – absolutely true. But my entire professional career is related to the field, agriculture. There I have the most professional experience, I communicate a lot with the people of the regions, I have to travel a lot not only in political matters, but also in the professional sense, we organize many trainings.

I really know very well the problems of the people in the regions, I know their expectations. So I see that I could make better use of my experience in rural areas.

– And you used to visit that country before?

– He definitely didn’t like a politician. He had a lot to visit. There are also family farmers with whom we interact and support, and they have encouraged me to choose exactly the land where livestock is developed, since I am a specialist in livestock. That is what determined that choice.

– Are you running an election campaign there? Are you driving to that country, interacting with the people? After all, you are a stranger to them, they don’t greet you on the street.

– In the past, I may not have known him personally, but I had to travel and interact with people, communities and farmers. In fact, quite a few acquaintances who know me.

And now, yes, through an active political campaign I try to visit as many voters as possible, to introduce myself, to show advantages over other candidates, to present our best Labor Party program so that the voters elect us and me .

– And why politics for you? Her academic career and her research seem to be going well.

– I’m not really complaining. Sometimes people even ask what were the recessions or some kind of event that changed lives in one way or another. I can be glad that my career has always been on the rise, not around the corner, but to the right. In fact, I have reached the peak of my scientific career.

I have reached the pinnacle of my scientific career.

And as I mentioned, in 2008 I felt within myself that I needed to use knowledge more broadly. I have thoughts. I have opportunities. I was never locked in the lab, I really did a lot of projects, that’s the management experience. It was this that determined my choice.

– You work at the Vytautas Magnus University. Tell us more about what you do, what you teach, what you teach.

– I work at Vytautas Magnus University, Academy of Agriculture, to be more precise. I run a science center. Teach Animal Husbandry Technology, this fall will not run this program.

– And business or do you have?

– Big – no. In 2009 I founded a company, it was established in addition to the main job. When others are looking for two or three jobs in various universities, I just set up a public institution that is more involved in the project activities, we provide various trainings, consultations. But that has never been my core business and that company employs people for whom it is not a core business.

– What is the name of the company?

– “Scientific services”.

– What do you do after work? How are you going to rest

– In Lithuania, there is such a system in scientific and educational activity that in many cases there is no “after work”. It is not the case that you close the university door at seventeen, for example, and that is the end of the working day. Definitely not. When you return home to do some projects, you work extra, the next stage of work begins. Go back, get some rest, relax, and reconnect your computer and get to work.

Now maybe I read motivation books, self-education books.

– And do you find time for a fiction book or a fishing rod?

– Now less. I can read fiction books less often, now maybe I read motivation books, self-education books, whenever I have that time. But even that, I can’t boast of having time for that.

Fishing? Well, next time I had to. Maybe not for me, more for children because they love it. He didn’t have to take it seriously, such a childish outing. But given the chance and more time, I would love to do that, because as a kid, I really enjoyed fishing as a teenager.

– Or do you have a garden or a farm?

– No, I don’t have a farm. Gardening? We have a small greenhouse near the house. But sadly, there is not enough time now that I would like to dedicate to you. Yes, it was time to grow both the tomato seedlings and the cucumber seedlings ourselves. Now that we have less time, we shop elsewhere.

But our own vegetables, when it can be harvested in a greenhouse, its flavor, freshness, is incomparable to what we buy in supermarkets, or finally in the markets. Still, your own vegetable, grown without fertilizers, healthy. And that flavor, when you take it and eat it for a few minutes, it’s completely different.

This interview is on the news portal 15min specifically for 2020. Part of the series of interviews for the Seimas elections “Why vote?”. This is material produced by journalists from the 15-minute News section of the news portal and is not funded by political parties, the Central Electoral Commission or other sources. The leaders of the lists of the main political parties are interviewed for the project and their interviews are published on the portal every 15 minutes every Sunday and Monday. You can read the prepared interviews here: “Why vote?”